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I have many travel pix of third world construction. It always fascinated me to see the ingenuity so I took pix. Multi-story buildings with nothing but bamboo lashed together for scaffolding, going up 5,6 stories. Some guy straddling a big steel I-beam with a hack saw and sawing it by hand, all day. I watched a building demo in Nepal where a bunch of workers swarmed over a pile of busted-up concrete and chipped and hacked at it to remove the old re-bar, straightened it all out, and then re-used it in another building. In the US they use concrete-pumper trucks and a hose to fill the forms, in 3rd world they carry 5-gallon buckets up a rickety ladder and pour it by hand.
This is exactly what's happening right here, right now, as I type this. Our complex is undergoing earthquake repair, and the 3-story scanty bamboo scaffolding is just breath-taking. The guys shimmy up a bamboo pole and stand bare-foot on the round bamboo with no railings or anything. They have shirts wrapped around their faces for dust. They mix concrete in a wheel barrow and carry it in 5-gallon buckets up the stairs or scaffolding to where its needed. It was determined that required headers, or lintels, were never put in around the doors and sliders, so that is being repaired now. It seems there is little to no inspection on building projects.
And the streets, wow. Open, gaping holes, drop-offs on the sidewalk and street. No lane markers or stoplights (hardly). Driving is just free-form. You have to watch every step you take. My 6' husband has gotten almost creamed a few times by corrugated metal roofing hanging down at eye-level over the sidewalk. Pedestrians have no rights---look out!
But hey. It is a different culture---you hopefully know that going in. For example: no one helps you in a store. To them, that would be intrusive. If you ask, they will. In restaurants (except super fancy ones) no check is brought to your table, you must get up and pay at the cash register, telling them what you had. They feel they would be "rushing you" to bring the check on their own. They don't "check up" on you while dining....and so forth. We have to pay our local bills in person, nothing is online.
It is an interesting adventure....out of the comfort zone! If you want everything to be "just like home", I guess you better stay there! It's not. But we love it....
I never knew all these countries have guidelines on how much $ you need to move there after retirement.
Probably a dumb question but does the US have any $ guidelines like that?
I never knew all these countries have guidelines on how much $ you need to move there after retirement.
Probably a dumb question but does the US have any $ guidelines like that?
Its not easy to immigrate to the USA. We have a set number of slots that we fill every year. What we do differently that I have some objection to is that we base a large percentage of immigration simply on having family already in our country. I suspect well over half of the available immigration slots are filled by someone who is a blood relative of another immigrant who is lawfully in the United States. Remaining slots tend to be filled based on individual merits of the immigrant.
The arguments for such a policy are that families will support one another and an immigrant is likely to have an easier start with that kind of support than someone who is living in the USA without any family would.
I think all countries ought to base immigration on what the immigrant will bring to their country. As such, the most preferred immigrants are younger, educated, speak some of the native language of the country, and have job skills in a STEM area. Some countries are a little more generous than others. Canada will bend some of the rules for younger immigrants.
The reality though is if you were a tax-paying citizen of a country that provided extensive social services for your population (public assistance, medical care, old age pensions, public housing, etc.) you would be concerned about people who had never paid taxes in your country wanting to reap the benefits of what was intended to be generosity and social justice towards your citizens. You would realize that immigration has the potential to turn such a system, upside down.
Thank you so much Aredhel and Llep for your response. It's what I was afraid of. I have seen about the only places that might accept us are Panana and Costa Rica but not sure that's what we want. Not islandy types - love mountains and change of weather. I'm sure we'll end up stuck in the US but thought I would ask. Thanks again.
I don't understand your comments about Costa Rica; it's not an island. It has quite a varied topography, with mountain ranges, volcanoes, several nature preserves.
My 6' husband has gotten almost creamed a few times by corrugated metal roofing hanging down at eye-level over the sidewalk. Pedestrians have no rights---look out!
Haha, yeah, I am 6-2 and I remember walking on a sidewalk in Honduras and just barely ducked in time to avoid the power wires going into a business that were hanging down, head high, right over the "sidewalk". I soon figured out why everyone walks in the street.
Just nosing around this forum and this thread caught my eye. Have you looked into Antigua Guatemala? Retiring to a third world country is not my preference but I have been to Antigua and I could definitely see it being a nice place to retire.
Just nosing around this forum and this thread caught my eye. Have you looked into Antigua Guatemala? Retiring to a third world country is not my preference but I have been to Antigua and I could definitely see it being a nice place to retire.
The call out there for retirees would be the healthcare standard, not sure Guatemala ranks high in that regard, which would be important in the later years.
They mix concrete in a wheel barrow and carry it in 5-gallon buckets up the stairs or scaffolding to where its needed.
The workforce around here is divided by gender, skill work is a man thing so the workers on scaffolding are men, but the grunt stuff is woman-work so you get the ladies hauling materials too/from.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Sand&Salt
And the streets, wow. Open, gaping holes, drop-offs on the sidewalk and street.
Word. Fine during the day (well fine is relative) but at night coming home after a few beers things get treacherous, especially if keeping one eye on nearest street dog.
I never knew all these countries have guidelines on how much $ you need to move there after retirement.
Probably a dumb question but does the US have any $ guidelines like that?
The US sells green cards to anyone who opens a business and invests a million dollars. However that is constantly abused here in Hawaii with wealthy chinese buying a million dollar condo and setting it up as a rental (that is never rented). Or buying land to develop, but never gets developed. I understand So Cal has the same problem.
Canada also has a similair program but I think the $$ is lower.
Another option is to try to see if you can get a job in a first world country. If you move for work, its easier to apply for permanent residency and, eventually, citizenship, even in so-called first world countries.
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